FAIRFIELD, Conn. (July 28, 2016) — Fairfield University will host U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal for an Opioid Prescribers Panel Discussion on “Best Practices for Prescribers —What’s Working Now?” Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at 10:00 am, at the Dolan School of Business Dining Room. (Bellarmine and Coughlin Rd.), Fairfield, CT 06824

The issue of opioid misuse in the state of Connecticut has been at the top of the Senator’s agenda. Senator Blumenthal has participated in nine roundtable discussions and has spoken to those struggling with opioid addiction, people who have lost loved ones, law enforcement officials, first responders, doctors, addiction specialists and elected officials on the challenges with and ideas for combating the prescription drug misuse and heroin epidemic crises.

Fairfield University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies, which is planning the panel discussion with Senator Blumenthal, recognizes that opioid misuse is a pressing public health crisis, and that it is critical that APRN students receive education on current standards. As part of academic nursing’s ongoing efforts to combat prescription drug and opioid misuse across the United States, Fairfield University has committed to educating its advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) students on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. Fairfield has partnered with 190 American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) member schools with APRN programs, as part of the White House Champions of Change event on Advancing Prevention, Treatment and Recovery.

Appearing with Senator Blumenthal on August 17th are: Linda Mascolo, lead APRN at New Era Rehabilitation Center, Gregory Fils, APRN YNHH, Pain Management Center, Lynn Madden MPA, President & CEO, APT Foundation and Dr. Bachaar Arnaout MD, Director of the Detoxification and Addiction Stabilization Service (DASS), Medical Director for the Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP), VA Connecticut Healthcare System, along with representatives from The Medical Society and the Dept. of Consumer Protection.

Vol. # 49, No. 8

Fairfield University is a Jesuit University, rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states, 47 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the University’s five schools. In the spirit of rigorous and sympathetic inquiry into all dimensions of human experience, Fairfield welcomes students from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and engage in open conversations. The University is located in the heart of a region where the future takes shape, on a stunning campus on the Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.